Hindwell Belts

The Belts at Hindwell are a proper walk through old Scots pine forest, the sort of place where the light filters green through the canopy and you can actually hear yourself think. It's near Stonehaven on the Aberdeenshire coast, so you're mixing woodland with salt air - unusual combination that works better than it sounds.

What you're actually doing is wandering through regenerating forest on easy, well-marked paths. There's nothing flashy about it. No visitor centre, no gift shop, just trees and the occasional glimpse of the Mearns landscape beyond the wood line. Most people will spend an hour here, maybe ninety minutes if you're stopping to identify birds or photograph fungi. The paths are accessible enough for families with younger kids, though pushchairs would struggle on the muddier sections after rain.

This is the sort of place that appeals to walkers wanting something quieter than the big-name Scottish estates, and to anyone genuinely interested in woodland ecology. History types won't find much to grab onto - it's conservation land more than heritage site. If you're based at Cloak Caravan Park five miles away, it's an easy morning outing before heading down to Stonehaven for fish suppers.

Go on a clear day if you can. The forest's dense enough that rain makes it properly gloomy, and there's nowhere to shelter worth a damn. Free to access, naturally - this is working forestry land, not a tourist attraction dressed up as one.